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Fresh off the annual Vetting Of The Expenses, London city council faces another thorny financial issue and perhaps the most awkward one possible — voting on their own pay raise in an election year.

It’s a tough one at any time, but more complicated with the campaign looming and with two-thirds of city council expected to seek re-election this fall.

Add in the fact the city’s unionized outside workers just ratified a modest four-year deal, and city hall is engaged in a heated arbitration battle with firefighters, and the spotlight on pay-me-more politicians grows even hotter.

Next week, they’ll discuss a city policy that would give them a 1% raise in 2014 — just fine, by one outspoken politician.

“Absolutely (I’ll vote for the raise) and I won’t try and duck and weave and hide it from the public,” Coun. Stephen Orser said Friday.

“The backbone of Ward 4, the average, regular person like me, I don’t think has a problem with me getting a cost-of-living increase,” he said.

The issue, which goes to council’s corporate services committee Tuesday before a full council vote a week later, clearly has some politicians uncomfortable.

Harold Usher, for example, was combative on radio Friday, chafing at being questioned about the city policy that gives council 1% annual raises. “Don’t bully me,” he told a reporter.

CUPE Local 107, which represents more than 500 outside workers, just ratified a contract that will run from 2016 to 2019 with an average annual raise of 0.5%, plus one-time cash payouts of about $500 in two of those years.

On the firefighter front, city hall is pushing for a wage freeze in contract arbitration. The London Professional Fire Fighters Association wants 2.9% annually for three or four years.

Is politicking possible when council discusses the 1% raise?

Absolutely.

The just-completed annual review of council expenses had that dimension when, at council this week, Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen, the most frugal politician by a mile, pushed to have each politician’s yearly expense limit cut to $10,000 from $15,000.

It lost 11-4, but was supported by Van Meerbergen, Orser, Denise Brown and Matt Brown.

On the 1% raise proposal, Matt Brown, a mayoral candidate, has always been opposed to council voting on its own salary and remains so. He says he “knew what the job paid when I applied for it” and bristles at politicians setting their own salary.

But that stance drew political flak Friday, too.

Orser, a long-time ally of Brown’s presumed opponent this fall, Joe Fontana, accused him of grandstanding.

“The peacock’s got all his feathers out, trying to get every vote he can,” Orser said. “He’s a guy running for mayor.”

Brown shrugged off Orser’s remarks, saying he believes a citizen task force, like the one that last year recommended no major council raise until at least 2018, should handle the annual pay hike decision.